How Long Should You Keep Makeup?

Jul 15, 2008

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Jars, tubes, boxes with makeup are part of the customary arsenal which women use in the fight for beauty, youth, and attractiveness. But apart from the cosmetic benefits, scent and decorative packing we should also pay attention to one particularly important detail – expiration date. Cosmetics past its expiry date can be a source of bacteria which can bring about different infections, acne, and other complications.

Eye Shadows Keeping

Eye shadows can be kept for a year (some a little bit longer) on conditions that you carefully look after the condition of the brushes, applicators, and sponges. You should wash them at least once a week, or if you are too lazy for that you should better periodically buy new ones.

Mascara Keeping

Mascara can be used for 3 to 5 months; it quickly goes bad due to the frequent contact with air and the eyelashes, but when not used often it simply dries out and should not be diluted.

Powder, Lipstick and Rouge Keeping

Compact and friable powder, as well as dry rouge, “live” for 12 to 18 months; oily rouge and eye liner can be used no more than a year, lipstick and lip gloss – no more than a year and a half.

Eyeliners and Lipliners

Eyeliners and lipliners, as well as deodorants, can be kept for three years.

General Makeup Keeping Tips

Makeup should be kept as far as possible from the sources of heat, cold, and moisture; keep it also away from sunlight. Thereat bathroom is not a good place to keep makeup and perfumery. Bathroom is a good place for keeping soaps, shower gels, and shampoos; but it is not recommended to keep them on an open shelf, better store them in a closable cabinet. Note that shelf life for those products is usually no longer than a year.

Note the Date

When you open some new makeup make sure to write the date when you open it on the package. This way you will know for sure how much longer you can use the substance, nevertheless, you should not wait till it obviously goes bad.

Expired Makeup

Keep your make up as long as the expiry date permits, keep it in perfect condition, and do not use expired products – this way your skin will remain healthy and beautiful for years.

7 COMMENTS

Last year in summer I decided to keep some of my makeup in the fridge (foundation, lipstick and face cream), because it was soo hot. I didn’t want these products to melt or go bad, I liked them so much and decided to cool them. I didn’t notice any changes in them after I had been keeping them in the fridge for some weeks, only the consistence of the cream foundation had changed a bit – it looked more like cottage cheese in water, but beige. But when I mixed it, it became ok. I kept using these products, but then I got my face covered with red spots, it became very dry, the lips became dry too and only after some days without using makeup and taking anti-allergy drugs I cured it. I don’t know, what exactly caused the allergy, but the doctor said, this was due to the expired makeup. But I’m sure, I wasn’t using expired makeup, it was probably because of the cold. NEVER keep your makeup in the fridge!

I used to have the same problem with cream foundation, but I didn’t use the fridge, I just forgot the tube in the sun for some hours. When I tried to apply it the next day, it looked exactly as you described, but I didn’t use it and just got rid of it and bought a new one.

I have been using the same makeup for years. I never throw out makeup unless It breaks or something. I never get any thing wrong on my face. Neither has my mom who keeps her makeup forever and she even hands some down to me..

One more option to make sure makeup is still valid and fresh is using batch code printed on it. Visit checkcosmetic.net and type the code you found, and it will tell you the production and expiration date of your makeup. Actually there are two terms of validity: validity term after manufacturing, generally 3 years, and this information can be obtained via checkcosmetic.net); and validity term after opening, which should be indicated on the makeup as xM sing, where x is number of months you can use it after opening. For example, 6M means you can use it 6 months after opening, but not longer than 3 years (depending on brand) from production date.